Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a popular illustrated book series for older children by the American children’s author and illustrator Jeff Kinney. The books center on a middle school student named Greg Heffley. Greg’s mother makes a deal with Greg. If the boy keeps a diary, he will be excused from some Saturday chores. In his diary—which he insists on calling a journal—Greg describes his daily experiences with his friends, classmates, and family. The series has been praised for its ability to humorously portray the life of boys as they near their teenage years. Kinney’s amusing cartoon drawings are an essential part of the stories. 
Kinney first explored ideas for the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series in 1998. He began publishing the stories online in 2004. The first volume in book form, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, appeared in 2007. The other books in the series include Rodrick Rules (2008), The Last Straw and Dog Days (both 2009), The Ugly Truth (2010), Cabin Fever (2011), The Third Wheel (2012), Hard Luck (2013), The Long Haul (2014), Old School (2015), Double Down (2016), The Getaway (2017), The Meltdown (2018), Wrecking Ball (2019), The Deep End (2020), Big Shot (2021), Diper Överlöde (2022), and No Brainer (2023).
A spin-off series, from the perspective of Greg’s best friend, Rowley, is “Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid.” The series consists of Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal (2019), Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure (2020), and Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories (2021).
A live-action motion picture adaptation of Diary of a Wimpy Kid was released in 2010. The film’s success led to the release of the sequels Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (2017). In 2021, Walt Disney Pictures released the animated film Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Two animated sequels followed: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2022) and Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever (2023).
